KARACHI: Batsman Iftikhar Ahmed was the major beneficiary while Mohammad Amir returned for his first Test tour since coming back to international cricket after his first-year suspension for spot-fixing when the 17-man Pakistan squad for the four-match series against England was announced on Sunday.

The biggest challenge confronting the newly-inducted national selection committee comprising chairman Inzamam-ul-Haq and members Tauseef Ahmed Wajahatullah Wasti and Wasim Haider was to find the right blend for Pakistan’s first Test tour of England since 2010 when the spot-fixing controversy rocked the cricketing world.

Iftikhar, the 25-year-old from Peshawar who has played in just two One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 International but yet to be capped at the Test level, has been included as the reserve middle-order batsman despite a modest first-class career in which he averages 34.56 in 31 matches.

Hafeez passed for the tour; Amir’s visa issue remains unresolved

Amir’s selection was a foregone conclusion since the left-arm paceman has been part of the national team in limited-overs matches from the start of this year. But the grant of visa still remains a worry for the 24-year-old. Despite repeated assurances from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar M. Khan, Amir’s departure plans with the squad are in doubt.

However, Inzamam, while unveiling the squad at a media conference in Lahore, was hopeful that Amir would get the British visa in the next few days. “There was no doubt whatsoever about Amir’s selection for the tour. Hopefully, we understand that the visa will be granted to him sometime this week.”

Inzamam said the best possible squad has been picked with the consensus of Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq and the yet-to-arrive new Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur.

The selectors sprang the biggest surprise by picking Iftikhar, while overlooking the credentials of last season’s top performers Akbar-ur-Rehman and Asif Zakir, both were part of the 21-member training camp in Lahore. Also sidelined was in-and-out opener Khurram Manzoor, who made an unhappy return to international cricket at the T20 Asia Cup in Bangladesh earlier this year, but still possesses an impressive first-class record.

“We took all stakeholders on board, including [head coach] Mickey Arthur, before a consensus was reached over the final squad. This is possibly the best team we have assembled for the tour,” Inzamam said. “Fitness of every player was assessed during the boot camp and the training sessions before we sat down to finalise the team. [Mohammad] Hafeez has included after being cleared by the PCB medical staff as fit for the tour.”

On inclusion of injury-riddled fast bowler Sohail Khan, who has been preferred to Ehsan Adil and one who has played just two Tests (the last against Zimbabwe in 2011), Inzamam said: “We watched him closely both during fitness and training camps. Sohail looked in fine rhythm. Being an experienced bowler with a very good first-class record, we expect him to do well in conditions which generally all pace bowlers enjoy. For a tour like England, you need to have someone of his experience.

“Moreover, Sohail impressed everyone here by bowling in extreme heat of Lahore where the temperatures was above 40 degrees [Celsius] even in late afternoon.”

The rest of the squad picked almost itself with the tried and trusted middle-order quartet of Misbah, Younis Khan, Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq leading the pack. Mohammad Hafeez, the most experienced of the three openers selected, is making steady progress from the knee problem that forced the 35-year-old right-hander to skip the latter half of the World Twenty20 in India, the Pakistan Cup one-day tournament in Faisalabad and the boot camp in Kakul. The selectors have opted to bank on the left-handed duo of Shan Masood and Sami Aslam to partner Hafeez at the top of the order with neither of them having played in the unfamiliar English conditions as yet.

Mohammad Rizwan makes the squad as the backup to first-choice Sarfraz Ahmed as the wicket-keeper, while Yasir Shah — who is returning to the national squad after his a doping ban ended in March — and the left-armer Zulfiqar Babar, as expected, have been included as the main spinners with Iftikhar providing, if required, support with his occasional off-spinners.

Amir along with fellow left-armers Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali and the right-arm pair of Mohammad Imran Khan and Sohail Khan form the five-man pace battery at Misbah’s disposal for the Tests at Lord’s (July 14-18), Old Trafford (July 22-26), Edgbaston (Aug 3-7) and The Oval (Aug 11-15).

Inzamam further stated that Rizwan has been included as the 17th player because the selectors requested for a second wicket-keeper to ease Sarfraz’s burden.

“Rizwan is there because we feel Sarfraz may need rest between Test matches. At the same time Rizwan would also get invaluable practice for the one-day and T20 matches later on,” the chief selector stressed.

From the 2010 Test tour, only Wahab, Amir and Azhar have retained their places, while Pakistan’s most experienced batsman and highest run-getter in Test cricket Younis played in Tests on the England tours of 2001 and 2006. Hafeez is the only other player in the current squad to have appeared in a Test on the English soil (Oval 2006).

Inzamam also clarified that if any bowler does well for Pakistan ‘A’ in England — which will run concurrently alongside the senior team’s tour — the selectors have the option of inducting him for the Test series.

“It is a blessing in disguise for us that Pakistan ‘A’ will be playing in England at the same time. We will be closely monitoring the performance of that team as well when they play Sri Lanka ‘A’ and England Lions. And if we find any bowler is doing exceptionally well, there is the possibility of including him in the Test squad if needed,” the former Pakistan skipper pointed out.

The squads for the two One-day Internationals against Ireland, the five-match one-day series versus England and the one-off Twenty20 International against England will be announced during the Test series.

Inzamam, meanwhile, also announced that on instruction of PCB chairman, young batsman Babar Azam will lead Pakistan ‘A’, who will play Sri Lanka ‘A’ in two four-day matches at Leicester (July 3-6) and Worcester (July 10-13) before both teams take part in a one-day triangular series with England Lions from July 18 to July 24.

Squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Azhar Ali (vice-captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Shan Masood, Sami Aslam, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Rahat Ali, Sohail Khan, Mohammad Imran Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2016